


Filling in the Gaps - Family Album

by Thefishoutofwater



Series: Filling in the Gaps [12]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Family, Jealousy, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 06:30:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefishoutofwater/pseuds/Thefishoutofwater
Summary: An anniversary brings some of Grey Sloan's doctors together. Will Jo like what she hears?





	Filling in the Gaps - Family Album

“Absolutely not.” Jo Wilson was standing on the gantry over the hospital lobby, “I said after last time that I was not going to go to another party with your friends.”

“I know, I know.” Alex was conciliatory as he looked out, “but this is different.”

“How?” Jo was forthright, “It’s dinner, at Dr Grey’s, with the attendings. Sounds exactly like last time.”

“Blake’s not invited.” Alex tried for humour and failed, “Look I know last time was shitty but,”

“No buts Alex. It was awful. Even if I forget about you ignoring me all night before leaving me alone for over an hour while you necked tequila in a bedroom with the supposed hostess,”

“Mer had…” he interrupted,

“No you don’t need to explain! I know all the reasons why it was worse for her but that’s why I’m saying even if you ignore that part of it, it was still a beyond crappy night for me. No one spoke to me, I got demoted from chopping to trash and I had a row with my best friend. Your friends are my bosses they don’t want me around while they’re getting drunk or having marital dramas and to be honest I don’t want to be around it either.  So, no. You go and have fun and I’ll enjoy an early night. Sleep is a resident’s friend.”

 “You know I’m not keen to relive a night like that one either you know. Free food and drink alone wouldn’t be enough to have me signing up for this again”

Jo rolled her eyes not really believing him,

“Well why are you then?”

“Honestly, because Arizona asked. This is her idea and she is like a dog with a bone. There’s no way I’m getting out of it so a bit of moral support wouldn’t go amiss.”

She stopped and looked at him incredulously,

“Moral support? Really?”

He had the sense to look embarrassed,

“I’m not going to beg. I’d just really like it if you came. I promise we’ll leave whenever you’re ready. Just come with me while we show our faces for a while,” she bit her lip and he hurried on, “please babe. At least think about it.” He kissed her quickly and headed off before she could say anything else.

 

Against her better judgment Jo turned the handle to the Grey house later that evening. She stood in the doorway trying to get a sense of what might be happening. To her surprise Alex and Arizona were sitting on the sofa with Zola and Sofia between them, a large photo album spread across their knees and smiles on their young faces. Jackson and Callie lingered in the doorway between the room and the kitchen and there was no sign at all of the hostess.

Jo muttered a greeting and headed to the kitchen,

“What’s going on?” she asked as she opened the fridge surveying its contents, “Where is Dr Grey?”

“Upstairs. Said she had to put the little ones to bed but I went up a while ago and she was chatting to Yang.” Callie’s tone was deadpan but her eyes seemed blood shot.

“Okay.” Jo took in the slightly strange atmosphere. She sipped on her drink and watched her boyfriend exchange smiles with his one-time mentor over the top of the children’s heads. The front door opened again as Owen Hunt joined the group,

“For the record I think this is a terrible idea.” He announced as he passed the group on the way to the kitchen.

“I agree.” Jackson joined him at the fridge as the two men opened bottles of beer.

“Arizona wanted…” Callie began uncertainly.

“Where is Meredith?” Owen interrupted, “Did she show at all?”

“Of course she did. It’s her house,” Callie continued, “she’s upstairs on the phone to Cristina.”

“That makes sense I guess.” He nodded reluctantly and leaned against the wall. “Do I need to do something about food?”

“There’s a Thai on its way for once the girls go to bed,” Callie smiled fondly at her daughter, “if they go to bed. They’re pretty wound up.”

The conversation paused, and Jo shifted uncomfortably. There was a very odd atmosphere. She watched as Meredith joined the group in the living room, her face slightly puffy. She carried with her a large navy album which she took to the sofa. She perched, very close to Alex’ side Jo noticed, and leaned over to hold her daughter’s hand.”

Jo wandered to the kitchen listening to the ebb and flow of conversation as she stared out of the window. She jumped slightly as she felt her boyfriend slip his arms around her and gently kiss her neck,

“You came.” Another kiss, “Thank you.”

“What’s going on Alex? It feels weird here right now. It looks like Torres has been crying and maybe Grey as well.”

She felt him breathe in deeply,

“It would have been Mark Sloan’s birthday today,” he stopped, “he was Sofia’s dad. He died...”

“In the plane crash,” Jo interrupted, “I remember.”

“Yeah well, Arizona thought it would be good for Callie and Sofia to… I don’t know, do something, so here we all are.”

Jo stopped,

“Why are they _here_ though?”

Alex took another deep breath,

“It’s kind of twisted. I mean it’s typical Grey-Sloan stuff.”

“Try me.” She was desperate to hear what he’d say,

“Okay. I guess Callie wanted to include Mer because Derek and Mark were best friends. Like they grew up together. I mean they had a rough patch when Derek’s first wife had an affair with Mark but mostly they were like brothers. Plus, he was super into Lexie, Meredith’s sister. Mer likes for the kids to hear about Shepherd and this is easier than trekking across the country to the rest of his family.”

Jo nodded letting his words fill in some of the gaps of her knowledge,

“Why Jackson?”

“Oh Jackson and Sloan were tight. Everything Jackson knows is because Sloan taught him. Bastard wouldn’t teach me.” There was no malice in Alex’ tone despite his words, “I wanted an easy life in plastics once upon a time. And he was not supportive.”

“Probably because he thought you wanted Addison.” Meredith joined them.

Alex glared at her and Jo look puzzled,

“Addison?”

“Derek’s first wife.” Meredith was mockingly factual, “Alex went there.”

“I did not. Well not really.” Alex tried to defend himself to Meredith’s amusement, “Are you being an ass because you have people in your house and you want to be alone or are you just being an ass?”

“Well, I would like dinner.” Meredith looked pointedly at her friend before moving off back towards her daughter whilst Jo rolled her eyes. It was very easy to feel invisible when the two friends started chatting.

“Alex?” Zola called from the sofa, “Can you read a story with us?”

Jo was pleased to see Alex turn and check with her,

“Do you mind staying a little while longer. We should probably wait for the food at least?” seeing the nod he called back, “sure I will so long as I get to pick.”

“But Alex!” two pleading voices called out and he grinned at them,

“I read, my rules.”

* * *

 

Jo sat on the sofa. Arizona, Callie, Meredith and Alex were upstairs finishing bedtime for the two little girls whilst Jackson and Owen pulled out plates and drinks to go with the take out which had just arrived. Not for the first time when spending her social time with the attendings Jo felt horribly out of place.

Not really playing attention, she opened the navy album and flicked carelessly through the pages. She blinked suddenly as she realised she was looking at a picture of a young Alex and Meredith in Joe’s bar, tequila bottle in front of them, eyes bleary. She turned the page to see a side profile of a younger but perfectly quaffed Derek Shepherd dressed in a tuxedo staring into the distance. She flipped the page again desperate to see more. In a perfectly posed photo was Meredith and Yang flanked by a smaller man with terrible early 2000’s hair and a perky blond woman, each of them with a NICU incubator containing tiny babies in front of them. Off to the side stood Alex.  She took a deep breath. Was this the infamous Izzie? Almost without thinking she ran her finger gently over the picture of Alex. He was smiling slightly for the camera but his eyes looked sad.

“They were quints.” Jo jumped as Meredith came alongside her, “Four of them made it in the end which was pretty impressive all told.” She smiled, “We look so young. We were so young.”

She looked at the younger woman staring at the younger Alex,

“He was an absolute ass back then. I mean really a terrible person,” she took over responsibility for the album turning the pages pausing occasionally as Jo saw a short haired Alex apparently asleep on the kitchen table, surrounded by books and papers. The flipping continued again until she stopped once more at a photo of her and Cristina mid dance hair flailing around them; Yang on a sofa, Meredith in mid-air as she jumped; the carnage of a party mid flow around them.

Meredith idlily turned pages pausing again at a large picture half way through the album,

“But then slowly it happened until he wasn’t. Now he’s one of the best.” Jo stared at the candid photo Meredith had stopped at. It showed Alex, unloading a bus of small children and confused looking adults aided by a selection of familiar and unfamiliar faces,

“This is my first proper picture of Zola,” Meredith nodded to the baby wrapped in a coloured blanked, gripping Alex’ shoulder, “I wasn’t there that night but I got this later from one of the nurses.”

She relinquished the album back to Jo,

“This is a family album Wilson. For all of the damaged people and disaster this,” she gestured loosely to the kitchen where Owen was laying out food, “it’s family.”

She headed back to the kitchen leaving Jo wondering, as she often did when Meredith spoke to her, whether that had been a warning or an invitation.


End file.
